Helsinki Adventures

Last week I finally ventured to Helsinki with Ahren for what turned out to be a pretty eventful trip!

First of all, let’s just take a moment to talk about Finland’s trains. It feels positively bizarre using spacious public transport and...Wait a moment. Finnish trains have top decks AND FREE WIFI? We don’t get this kind of luxury in England – you’d be lucky to find a seat sometimes.

Anyway, we arrived in Helsinki to find that the weather was absolutely dismal but that honestly didn’t matter. I was far too enthralled by all of the architecture to care about some rain.

While there, we checked out Kiasma (the contemporary art museum) which was seriously interesting. I’m not usually a fan of some “modern” art but there were so many thought-provoking pieces...

We also wandered around Anteneum which was holding an exhibition on Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani who was known for living a bit of a wild life.

Ahren took the opportunity to draw me and I’ve since entitled it: Murderous Librarian. I really hope that I don’t actually look this...

Dodgy drawings aside, we meandered through the city before reaching Helsinki Cathedral. Inside, we were fortunate enough to get a sneak peak of a choir practicing and it was spine-tingling...

There were plenty of other things we enjoyed too, including: the Rock Church, Upenski Cathedral, and one of our favourite (Scottish) bands Biffy Clyro.

We were supposed to leave early on Saturday afternoon, however, someone may not have checked the Kokkola bus schedule too thoroughly (ahem). As a result, we did end up staying one extra night which, in hindsight, wasn’t a terrible fate to endure.

In all, we had a fantastic week though it’s nice to be home in Kalajoki again J

What A Week...

200 scones.

That's right, folks. With the help of five extraordinary students, we made 200 scones for the English tea party and they were absolutely delicious if I do say so myself...

Here's a link to the recipe if you're in the mood for some baked goodness:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_scones_70005

Of course, every good scone needs its jam and cream too:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/strawberry_jam_82129

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24566/easy-devonshire-cream/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%202

The tea party was a roaring success (especially thanks to our brilliant International Studies students). We had croquet, skittles, and all of the tea one could wish for!

I'm sure that it would have been enough to make the dowager countess from Downton Abbey smile (or at least sternly nod her approval).

Here we are striking our best poses for the newspapers...

Beyond the school, I've been trying some new(ish) things too. On Wednesday evening - for the first time in years - I went horse riding! My horse, Nova, was thankfully very patient (especially during the most awkward horse dismount of the century).

Oh, and how could I almost forget?! I saw the Northern Lights the other day! This was my first time observing the strange green mist-like phenomena so you can imagine my excitement...

Anyway, this week is the holidays so I'll be off to Helsinki. Have no fear though because I'll be sure to keep you updated...

Surprising the Prime Minister...

Lukio is looking ever-so-slightly different nowadays due to ALL OF THE BUNTING YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE.

Oh, yes, the International Studies 1 students were once again making bunting for next week’s English Tea Party (18/10 13:30-14:00). This meant cutting out triangles upon triangles upon triangles. The finished look, however, is pretty amazing!

Meanwhile, the International Studies 2 students have been directing and acting in order to create videos to showcase Kalajoki’s youth services. Currently, the class has split into two groups: one is creating a video on the local park while the other is creating a video on basketball.

Competition between the two groups is fierce as the one which makes the best video wins...pizza, of course!

Life beyond the school has proved to be awesome too. The other week, I finally got around to exploring the famous beach:

I also met the prime minister (who probably didn't expect the English accent)!

This weekend I’m planning on visiting the local farmers’ market and will begin work on baking 200 SCONES (!!!!!!)...all in the name of the English tea party. 

Watch this space...

English Tea Party!

Brace yourself for the experience of a lifetime...

Kalajoen lukio is hosting an English Tea Party!

That’s right. We’re going to have a crazy amount of tea, scones, games and bunting (oh so much bunting) on 18/10/16 at 13:30-14:00. Where will this most marvellous of occasions be held exactly?  It’ll be in the first floor lobby where you’ll usually find students relaxing between lessons and dreaming of such an event.

Today our International Studies class got to work on preparing for the tea party. Naturally, we had to enjoy several cups of tea in order to inspire our creativity...

Here is a friend of mine, Ahren, from England providing the refreshments:

Some of our class began work on compiling an English music playlist – I’m pretty sure that I heard Rick Astley at some point...

Others created some rather dashing posters...

The rest of the group worked on the bunting which should eventually look something like this:

Look at them painting away!

Finally, we decided that it was time to make our guest feel truly welcome. This, of course, meant offering Ahren some salmiakki...

Did he like it or not, I hear you ask. Well, you will just have to watch the video in order to find out:

Our World and Culture

This week in International Studies we examined the role of culture in globalisation. More specifically, we looked at “cultural globalisation” – the sharing of languages, thoughts, customs, traditions and beliefs around the world.

We began by asking: what exactly is culture?

“It’s a way of life,” answered one of the students.

From there, we decided to explore some cultures from around the world...

Afterwards, we discussed how one culture in particular is sweeping across the globe: western consumer culture.

But why is this happening? Why is this consumer culture so popular?

In order to answer these questions, the class split into four groups in order to research four huge representatives of western consumer culture: McDonalds, Starbucks, Nike and Apple.

They all analysed some of their company’s adverts before deciding their favourite and showing it to the rest of the class. The groups then explained how their chosen company made their products so appealing.

One group explained that Nike convinces customers that if they buy their products, they will achieve great success (or even the impossible).

Western consumer culture in general, we realised, celebrates the concept that buying a particular product will ensure happiness, power, and many more brilliant things (apparently)!

The class proceeded to consider the extent to which they are part of this consumer culture. Does Finland have its own culture separate from this?

“It's mixed,” was the reply.

Finally, we finished the lesson with an activity to show just how many influences from around the world make us who we are today...

Globalisation, Capitalism and Clothes

This week in International Studies, we examined the nature of capitalism – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Our lesson commenced with a game involving candy (that definitely caught the students’ attention)!

The rules were simple:

1)    Each student was given an unequal amount of candy (their currency).

2)    The students had to compete with each other in games of noughts and crosses.

3)    For each game of noughts and crosses won, the winner would take one piece of candy from their opponent.

Both fun and frustrating, it reminded the students of some of the core elements of capitalism: competition and the pursuit of financial gain. We also discussed how it was unfair that some students started off with more candy than others, introducing the concept of capitalism and ... inequality.

Afterwards, we decided to analyse capitalism and the (global) fashion industry. We began with one question: where do our clothes come from? The results were varied...

We wondered about the extent to which multiple companies’ outsourcing of work in these countries benefited the latter...

“It gives people jobs...”

“But these jobs are often poorly paid...”

“Would they be better off without them though?”

“Only a few people benefit from this...”

The students soon discovered that they were examining highly complex issues. One thing is for sure though, it definitely made us all think twice about the way that our own actions (that of purchasing particular clothes) can affect individuals across the globe.

The Week I Tried Nahkiainen...

I’ve officially completed my first full week in Kalajoki – DUN, DUN...DUN! It pretty much went in the blink of an eye but make no mistake, a lot has happened.

One of my favourite aspects of the week was trying some traditional Finnish food. Let’s start with my newfound enemy: salmiakki. As I was handed the bag of salted liquorice, the students smiled sweetly. This was, however, their revenge for last week’s marmite escapades. Squirming at the bitter taste, I vowed never to eat these sweets again.

During another lesson, it was announced that I would be trying a different Finnish delicacy: nahkiainen. This is a type of lamprey (jawless fish) which caused several people to recoil in horror. I must admit that it wasn’t the prettiest food I’d ever seen - or the best-smelling. Nonetheless, I bit into the fish and...I LOVED IT! It melted in the mouth and I easily accepted seconds (much to the general disappointment of the class).

Another exciting moment of my week was receiving a bike! I hadn’t ridden a bike since I was fourteen but I assumed that I would be able to ride this one no problem. Wrong! After lurching into the curb, I realised that some practice would be necessary. So guess what I’ll be up to this week...

Besides mourning the loss of my cycling skills, I had the pleasure of attending a nearby farmers’ market on Saturday. There was a vast array of foods and goods on offer. Check out the awesome socks that I purchased (I’ve never felt so excited about a pair of socks...seriously...)

I also bought some of the most delicious biscuits from Kalajoen Lukio’s very own stall! The taste reminded me of shortbread (with a drizzle of white chocolate on top). I would show you a photo but I *may* have eaten them all – oops.

And there you have it, week one in Kalajoki: complete. Let’s see what my second week in this wonderful little town has to offer...